"My 'heroes' are average, everyday people," Kathy Mitson wrote. "They're the kind of people that give me faith in the human race and the hope I need to go on. Val South is one of my heroes.

"Val does the work of a dozen people," Mitson continued, "she gives 100 percent to everything she does, does it efficiently, never complains, and seldom, if ever, stops smiling."

I was particularly excited to get this e-mail. A total stranger was writing to tell me about one of my own "Neighbourhood Heroes".

Val married my cousin, Bob, back in 1987. She's the person whose smile lit up my entire home the first time we met.

During the early years of their marriage, life flowed gently for Val and Bob. They spent a lot of time with friends, Bob kept completing one amazing renovation project after another around the house, and Val moved along in her career from Emergency Room Nurse, to Facilitator of a migraine study, to Executive Director with the Canadian Migraine Foundation.

When their first son, Mitchell, was born, Val chose to take a consulting role so she could work from home. When Cameron came along a couple of years later, Bob and Val's fairy-tale life continued for another year or so... until the day Cameron was diagnosed with autism.

Never one to shrink from a challenge, Val did an awesome amount of research, and, some time later, she and Bob decided to start Cameron on Applied Behavioral Analysis Therapy, an in-home treatment program.

Then, just as they were adjusting to this new, more demanding lifestyle, Val's mom died leaving her father in need of more time and attention.

Of course that's when she was also offered a new job with the World Headache Alliance, a job that required a lot of international travel.

The offer was too good to turn down, so she accepted ... and excelled. Largely she says because Bob was able to rearrange his schedule to spend more time with Cameron and Mitchell while she was away.

During that time, Val's average day started at 6:30 when she woke Cameron to get him dressed, fed and ready for his morning therapy -- He had therapy sessions every morning and afternoon at a cost of $20,000 to $30,000 a year, and if you were wondering, our Canadian health care system does not cover any of this therapy -- that's where much of Val's salary went.

With Cameron in therapy and Mitchell sleeping -- "He was a sleeper-inner" -- Val managed to spend an hour or two at her desk.

Mitchell woke up anywhere between 8:30 and 10 and the rest of the morning was spent getting him dressed, fed, and guided in different activities.

"Usually I got to make a few work-related phone calls as well during that time," she smiled.

Cameron finished his morning therapy at noon leaving just enough time for her to feed the kids, walk Mitchell to the school bus, and then spend a little more time with Cameron before his afternoon therapy session.

Usually there was more time to focus on work in the afternoon but she also had to oversee Cameron's therapy, schedule the different therapists, keep in touch with the trainer in charge, and find time to call her Dad.

At 4:00 Mitchell got home and a normal family schedule kept her busy until her 9 o'clock bedtime.

Weekends Bob and Val have always tried to schedule half a day together, but mainly Bob tends to take care of the kids while Val works -- "almost always with a smile," she says.

Their third son, Thomas, arrived about a year ago so both Val and Bob are a little busier now but their both still smiling ... and so are their kids.

My cousins Bob and Val South are today's Neighbourhood Heroes.